Company Presentation General information Company name: Particip - - PDF document

Company Presentation

Company presentation Particip | Page 1

General information

Company name: Particip GmbH Address: Merzhauser Str. 183 D-79100 Freiburg, Germany Phone: +49-761-79074-0 Fax: +49-761-79074-90 http://www.particip.de E-mail: info@particip.de Legal form: Limited Commercial registration: HRB 5459, Amtsgericht Freiburg VAT DE 142927394 Capital: 169,000 € Managing Director: Johannes G. Walter Bank account: Kreissparkasse Tuttlingen Bank Code: 643 500 70 Account No.: 618 409 SWIFT: SOLA DE S1TUT IBAN: DE326435 0070 0000 6184 09 Turnover: 2008: 6.9 Mio € 2009: 10.0 Mio € 2010: 12.8 Mio € 2011: 14.5 Mio € 2012: 15.4 Mio € 2013: 20.2 Mio € 2014: 22.5 Mio € 2015: 30.0 Mio € 2016: 40.0 Mio € (estimated) Staff: Permanent: 75 Branch office: Rue Montoyer 31 (7th floor) B-1000 Brussels, Belgium Phone: +32-2-550-11-60 Fax: +32-2-550-11-69

Location of Particip’s headquarters

Page 2 | Particip Company presentation

Who we are

Particip GmbH – Your Partner in Change was founded in 1989 and is now an independent, in- ternationally-recognised consultancy company,

• ffering the expertise and the know-how gained in
• ver thousand assignments worldwide.

The management of change is the central focus and raison d'être of our company. As a multi-cultural company, our services focus on international development and include monitoring and evaluation, capacity and organisational de- velopment, technical assistance, policy advice, development of management guidelines at policy, programme and project level, and studies, sur- veys and analyses – all services covering a broad variety of sectors and themes. Our inter- and multidisciplinary teams work for international organisations such as the European Commission, the World Bank, the Council of Eu- rope, etc. as well as for a large number of national public and private organisations such as ministries and development organisations. Particip currently has 75 permanent staff and a large pool

• f

partner experts, of which we contract ap- proximately 350 per year for specif- ic assignments. A powerful database of more than 30.000 experts worldwide gives us quick and direct access to a broad spectrum of expertise, which we can mobi- lise quickly, while ensuring high quality of our services. The success of the company is reflected in the constantly increasing turnover, rising to 30 Mio Euro in 2015 and an estimated 40 Mio Euro for 2016, with a positive balance throughout all past years. Our mission

Nothing in this world is as certain as change. The management of change is a challenge that we at Particip are successfully committed to. Directing and shaping transformation processes is at the very core

• f our services.

Our objectives

• Customer orientation

It is our goal to design and implement excellent tailor-made solutions for and together with our

• clients. Our criteria for performance and success

are the quality of results and the lasting benefits achieved for our customers. We hereby earn and maintain both their trust and loyalty.

• Staff commitment

Our firm’s most valuable asset is our people. We aim to create a working environment that com- bines performance-orientation with concern for the individual. Our work processes and culture enable staff members to find their individual bal- ance between professional and private life.

• Professional and methodological compe-

tence Interdisciplinary work is our day-to-day business. We draw on all fields of academia and knowledge that can inform and empower our ef- forts.

• Profitability

Not size and growth, but the sustainability and viability of Particip is our goal.

• Social responsibility

Our company constitutes an active part of socie-

• ty. One of our principle responsibilities towards

society therefore lies in offering our staff mem- bers long-term professional and personal devel-

• pment prospects.

Company presentation Particip | Page 3

Our working philosophy

Particip’s principle of consultancy work is based

• n participation in order to manage social, organi-

sational or individual change. Technical inputs are

• nly one important component to facilitate devel-
• pment. To make it sustainable, it

has to be based on people. Sus- tainable development therefore requires a people-oriented, partici- patory approach to management and consultancy. Our teams of consultants therefore integrate varied, relevant skills - namely technical skills and the so- cio-economic and communication skills needed to facilitate and manage a process

• f change. One of our strengths lies in co-
• rdinating multi-disciplinary and multi-national

teams to achieve synergy effects. An open toolbox including a broad range of techniques and methods supports the teams in their work. This ena- bles them to provide the link be- tween the ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom- up’ approaches to management.

Guiding principles

• Partnership

We place great importance on maintaining close partnerships with our clients, consultancy partners and staff members. This emphasis on partnership is reflected in our company structure and culture. It finds its expression in our trademark: particip – your partner in change

• Excellence

The quest for excellence drives our cooperation with clients. We apply the highest performance and quality standards to our services and prod- ucts – and to the people and processes involved in their delivery. We constantly question estab- lished concepts and further develop proven prac- tices to achieve optimal results.

• Communication

Our lively, fair and open communication enables much more than simply the exchange of infor-

• mation. We are constantly able to learn from diffi-

culties by jointly addressing them in a timely fash- ion and through constructive dialogue. Our culture

• f communication encourages the solidarity and

trust that is indispensable to mutual learning.

• Sustainability

Successfully implementing change means deliver- ing lasting results for our clients, target groups and partners. We not only advise our customers, but also support them in the implementation pro- cesses that follow their decisions. Honest and open relationships with our clients, partners and staff are the strategic foundation for

• ur long-term success.

Our ethical principles are laid down in our code of

• conduct. They provide us with a framework for

action and enable us to achieve our goals while living our values. In this context we participate and support the Global Compact initiative of the United Nations.

Page 4 | Particip Company presentation

Our services

Services with focus on functions, processes and methodologies

• Monitoring & evaluation
• Sector, thematic and methodological guidelines for policy, pro-

gramme and project management

• Capacity and organisational development, training
• Technical Assistance / Programme Implementation & Manage-

ment

• Framework Contract Management

Thematic and sector coverage of services Public Sector

• Public sector reform
• Political & administrative governance
• Organisational and capacity development of

public institutions

• Local government &

decentralisation

• Sector-wide ap-

proaches and budget- ary support

• Public expenditure

management

• Support to National Authorising Officer
• Support to programme management units
• Support to central contract and finance units
• Fund management

Social and Human Development

• Support to civil society organisations (Non-

State-Actors)

• Human rights and democracy
• Governance & justice
• Social sector policy
• Gender and minorities
• NGOs
• Food aid and food security
• Water and sanitation
• Health
• Education
• Rehabilitation &

post-conflict devel-

• pment

Economic Development

• Support to small and medium-sized enterprises
• Local economic development
• Capacity development of private sector support

institutions

• Corporate social responsibility
• Financial services (micro, rural, SME, finance)
• Trade
• Regional integration

Regional, rural and local development

• Poverty reduction and livelihood programmes
• Regional and local devel-
• pment planning
• Community development,

empowerment and local self-organisation

• Agricultural production

systems

• Forestry
• Irrigation

Environment and Natural Resources

• Climate change
• Sustainable management of land & forest re-

sources

• Land/soil degradation & desertification
• Conservation
• Environmental regula-

tions, legislation and en- forcement

• Environmental communi-

cation and awareness building

• Environmental impact

assessments and moni- toring

Company presentation Particip | Page 5

Major references – some examples of our assignments

Further information on http://www.particip.de and on request

Evaluation and Monitoring

Evaluation is our core activity. We dispose of broad experience in designing and conducting evaluations and studies across all levels, ranging from country-strategies, policies, programmes, projects to organisations.

Evaluation from a conceptual point of view

At a conceptual level re- garding evaluation, from 2002-2006 Particip imple- mented a service contract for the design, the imple- mentation and the dissemi- nation of evaluation tech- niques and tools adapted to the European Commission’s development aid and coop- eration policies relating to third countries, cover- ing:

• The development of a consistent series of

guidelines for evaluators and evaluation man- agers applying to evaluation of aid strategies at the level of countries and regions, sectoral or thematic evaluations, evaluation of aid pro- jects. http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/evaluation/methodol

• gy/guidelines/gui_en.htm
• The development of support material for eval-

uators and evaluation managers for sec- tor/thematic evaluations comprising among

• thers the development of evaluation ques-

tions, criteria and indicators for the following sectors/issues: Education, Human Rights, De- mocratisation and Rule of Law, Water and san- itation, Rural development, Transport, Health. Each sector comprised the following docu- ments:  Major evaluation questions, judgement criteria and indicators in the sector  Delineation of the sector  Summary of EC sector policy for third countries  Summary of other donors’ policies in the sector  Impact diagrams and description of the causal means-end relationships  Sectoral glossaries and examples of good practices of use of tools in evaluations

Sectoral and thematic evaluations

Since 2001 our firm is the lead company for the management of services contracts for evaluation (sectoral and thematic) of European Commission programmes and policies in third countries, relat- ing to social and human development issues. In this context, and among others, Particip has been

• r is implementing the following evaluations:
• Thematic Evaluation of the EC support in Third

Countries in:  Trade Related Assistance  Integrated Border Management  Decentralisation  Education  Health  Civil Society  Good Governance  Water and Sanitation Sector  Population and Development Oriented Programmes  Integration of Gender in EC Cooperation

• Evaluation of EIDHR support to the Regional

Masters in Human Rights and Democratisation

• Ad hoc Evaluation of the Financial Assistance

Programme for Turkish Cypriot community

• Evaluation of voter education in the context of

EU electoral support

• Synthesis report on

EC activities in the field of human rights, democracy and good governance

• Evaluation of EU

mobility grant award- ing programmes

• Evaluation of Food-Aid Policy and Food-Aid-

Management and Special Operations in Sup- port of Food Security in ACP/ALA/MED/TACIS countries

• Thematic Evaluation of Rehabilitation and Re-

construction oriented activities in EC external co-operation with countries in ACP/ALA/MED/TACIS region These evaluations have been implemented in a number of subsequent framework contracts:

Page 6 | Particip Company presentation

• Multi-country evaluation studies on macro- and

micro-economic sectors/themes (Particip as consortium partner)

• Multi-country evaluation studies on social and

human development issues of EC external co-

• peration (Particip as consortium leader)
• Evaluation of EC main policies and strategies

in the areas of external cooperation (Particip as consortium leader) http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/how/evaluation/eval uation_reports/index_en.htm

Evaluation of Country Programmes

From 2004 to 2007 Particip managed the Service Contract to evaluate European Commission co-

• peration strategies, programmes and policies for

selected third countries (country-region strategies evaluations). Out of a total

• f 14 evaluations, five were

conducted by Particip in India, Mauritius/ Comoros/ Seychelles, China and Mol- davia and Mozambique. From 2007-2012 Particip was a consortium member

• f the contract “Evaluation
• f geographic cooperation

strategies, ALA, MEDA, CIS (NON ACP)”, and imple- mented evaluations covering ASEAN, Laos, Ma- laysia, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/evaluation/methodol

• gy/index_en.htm

From 2007 to 2008 an evaluation of the Country Programme Ghana-Denmark was implemented for Danida. In 2011 Particip was selected for all four Evalua- tion Framework Contract Lots for DG DEVCO of the EC:

• Lot 1: Multi-country evaluation studies of eco-

nomic sectors/themes of EC external coopera- tion (2011-2014 with Particip as partner)

• Lot 2: Multi-country evaluation studies on so-

cial/human development issues of EC external cooperation (2011-2014 with Particip as lead)

• Lot 3: Evaluation of EC geographic coopera-

tion strategies with “ACP” countries/regions (2011-2014 with Particip as lead)

• Lot 4: Evaluations of EC geographic coopera-

tion strategies for Asia, Latin America, and the Neighbouring countries (2011-2014 with Par- ticip as partner)

Monitoring

In the field of M&E, since March 2003 Particip is conducting a Service Contract for the co-

• rdination of the results-oriented monitoring sys-

tem of projects and programmes of external assis- tance financed by the European Commission. It consists of the provision of support for the co-

• rdination, synthesis of results, improvement and

development of the methodology, quality assur- ance and maintenance of the common database for the system of results-oriented monitoring with- in the framework of co-operation between the European Union and its partner States. From 2006 to 2009, in its second phase, our team focused more on the development of tools for monitoring sector programmes and budgetary aid.

Results-oriented monitoring system of the implementation of projects of external cooperation for lot 6 for Western Balkans and Turkey

The purpose of the Results-Oriented Monitoring (ROM) system of the EC is to provide external,

• bjective and impartial feedback on the perfor-

mance of external assistance projects and pro- grammes financed by the EC. ROM is applied worldwide by DG DEVCO for the EC’s develop- ment portfolio and by DG ENLARGEMENT for the Commission’s pre-accession assistance to (pre-) candidate countries in the Western Balkans and

• Turkey. The Particip-led consortium has been

selected to run the ROM system in the Western Balkans and Turkey region (lot 6) from 2011 – 2012 with possible extension to 2014. The system is based on the monitoring of projects by external consultants who conduct regular on- site visits to projects and programmes in all coun- tries, assess key project documents and interview relevant stakeholders, including the beneficiaries. Based on empirical data, the monitors produce and deliver objective, impartial and concise ROM

• utputs (Monitoring reports, Background conclu-

sion sheets and Project Synopses) and give rat- ings and comments following standard criteria: efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, impact and

• sustainability. The use of external experts ensures

impartiality and independence, and has the ad- vantage of providing a 'second opinion' from an informed outsider on the quality and progress of programme/project implementation.

Company presentation Particip | Page 7

Monitoring reports follow a standard format allow- ing easy aggregation of data at programme level during the implementation of individual projects. Opinions of Task Managers are also recorded in “Response Sheets” encoded directly in the CRIS database. Every year, the Particip-led consortium monitors approximately 230 projects in eight different coun- tries.

Euromed Audiovisual III programme - regional monitoring and support unit (RMSU)

Particip is acting as partner in this project (2011- 2014) which supports and monitors demand- driven projects selected through a call for pro- posals aiming to encourage cooperation of the audiovisual sector in the ENPI South region.

Assistance and technical support con- cerning the LIFE-Environment Pro- gramme

Since 2001 Particip is providing assistance and technical support concerning the LIFE- Environment Programme, and starting from 2005 Particip covers additionally the components LIFE- Nature and LIFE-Third countries. In 2009 we were again selected for the monitoring contract for the LIFE-Plus projects until the end of 2012. LIFE is the main European Commission funding mechanism for improving the state of the envi- ronment in the European Union and the Mediter- ranean Countries. It contributes to the implemen- tation, development and enhancement of the Community environmental policy and legislation as well as the integration of the environment into

• ther EU policies.

LIFE components:

• LIFE-Environment co finances innovative pilot

and demonstration actions aimed at integration

• f environmental considerations into land use

development and planning, promotion of sus- tainable management of groundwater and sur- face waters, prevention, recycling and sound management of waste streams, as well as oth- er aspects covered by the 6th Action Pro- gramme.

• LIFE-Nature works to conserve natural habitats

and the wild fauna and flora of European Union interest, according to the Birds and Habitats di- rectives, thus supporting implementation of the European Union's nature conservation policy and the Natura 2000 Network.

• LIFE–TCY: The objective of LIFE-Third coun-

tries is to contribute to the establishment of ca- pacities and administrative structures needed in the environmental sector and in the devel-

• pment of environmental policy and action

programmes in third countries bordering on the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea other than central and east European accession candi- date countries. Particip is responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of projects financed under all three thematic components. The assignment comprises following tasks:

• Assisting the Commission services with the

evaluation and revision of new project pro- posals;

• Monitoring and assessment of ongoing pro-

jects, identification of administrative, technical and financial problems and provision of rec-

• mmendations for their successful overcoming;
• Providing support to the LIFE-beneficiaries and

advising them on reporting procedures, stand- ards, presentation of project results and dis- semination actions;

• Implement-

ing ex-post evaluations;

• Assisting the

Commission services with the presenta- tion of pro- jects and the dissemina- tion of re- sults. Particip is in charge of monitoring projects in fol- lowing countries: Austria, Czech Republic, Ger- many, Hungary, Slovakia, Egypt, Croatia, Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Palestine, Syria, and Tunisia.

Training and capacity building

Developing methodologies and guidelines for improving policy, programme and pro- ject performance

Particip disposes of a broad experience in training and capacity building by the management of con- tracts aiming to develop methodologies and guidelines for improving policy, programme and project quality:

• Particip is acting as consortium partner in the

project “Methodological support and training for project and programme management in EC cooperation” (2011-2013), developing method-

• logical support (including guidance and vari-
• us analytical/planning tools), seminars, train-

ing and other capacity-building activities.

Page 8 | Particip Company presentation

• From 1999 to 2002, Particip coordinated the

training and help-desk-services for developing and strengthening Project Cycle Management (PCM) methodology in the development co-

• peration of the European Commission. The

main target for applying the PCM-methodology was to ensure a high quality standard dur- ing the project cycle from programming to identification through implementation to monitoring and evalu-

• ation. More than 170

PCM training courses (1-5 days each) were conceived, implemented and assessed (incl. evaluation courses) and helpdesk advice was provided to EC senior staff on PCM: QA of logframes and all kinds of documents (policy, programming, project lev- el). A new PCM-Manual & PCM-Handbook were drafted, as well as logframe analysis & scoring tools.

• Between 1999 and 2002, Particip co-ordinated

the Program of Reinforcement of Decentralized Cooperation (PRECOD). In this context we provided services such as the development of tools for the implementation of the approach and training modules on decentralised cooper- ation. Besides these important perennial contracts Par- ticip has implemented and is implementing an important number of short and long term training courses in Project Cycle Management and related thematic fields. Many specific trainings were delivered through the Framework Contracts Eu- ropeAid/123314/C/SER/multi Commission Lot 6: Training and EuropeAid/129783/C/SER/Multi Lot 2: Communication and Training.

Technical Assistance / Programme Implementation & Management

Reinforcement of administrative and management structures of partner organ- isations

Another major activity of Particip in the field of capacity building is the reinforcement of National Authorising Officers (NAO) in EC cooperation countries, being the bodies in charge of the exe- cution of all EC funded projects and programmes in terms of organisational structure, general man- agement, infrastructure, staff capacities and stra- tegic development. In this field, Particip has been providing long term technical assistance with both international and national consultants in Ghana (2003-2006), Papua New Guinea (2005-2009), Senegal (2006-2008), Swaziland (2007-2008), Mali (2008-2010), Sudan (2008-2011) and Jamai- ca (2008-2014).

Support to Civil Society Organisations (Non-State-Actors)

Particip has a long track record of experience in supporting Civil Society Organisations (Non-State- Actors). Particip implemented the Tech- nical Assistance Management Unit for the Component "Non- State Actors" for the Support Programme to the National Pro- gramme of Good Governance (PAPNBG) in Senegal (2007- 2011) aiming at supporting the role of NSAs in society, in part- nership with public authorities, and reinforcing professional capacities and inter- nal partnerships

• f

NSAs. http://www.ugp- ane.org/spip.php In 2008, we started to implement the project ‘Pro- vision of a Programme Support Unit for the “Non- State Actors Capacity Building Programme” in Botswana (2008-2012). In 2012 the three year project “Technical assis- tance for the programme to support the strength- ening of civil society in Haiti” started. Principles of our training programmes

For all our training programmes, the following prin- ciples help us to achieve a sustainable learning effect:

• Training is expected to change behaviour
• Training is a process, not an isolated event
• Training must be part of a strategy of hu-

man capital formation and human resource development

• Training demands conviction, concrete

support and demonstrative collaboration of the leading personnel

• Training must inspire and motivate
• Training must be tailor-made to reflect pro-

fessional background, age, educational level, position, and desires and needs of participants

• Training must integrate efficiency and per-

sonal satisfaction, formal planning and cre- ativity, result/action orientation and human relationships

Company presentation Particip | Page 9

Technical assistance for the implementa- tion of the Institutional Strengthening for Social and Economic Development pro- gramme

In 2009 and 2010 we provided 85 expert months support to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis to implement the National Adaptation Strategy, thereby facilitating an effective and sustainable transition to a ‘post-sugar’ society. The Pro- gramme contributed to Government capacity to coordinate development partner support in the furtherance of national goals.

Technical Advisor to the Poverty Reduc- tion Programme II

From 2009 to 2013 we manage a grant contract in Jamaica which mainly includes socio-economic projects, capacity building and training for com- munities, organisational strengthening of the So- cial Development Commission, Non-State Actor Capacity Building and Short Term Technical As- sistance.

IPA - project preparation facilities and technical assistance for the reinforcement

• f administrative capacity

The overall objective of the project (2009 – 2012) is to enhance and reinforce the Serbian capacities in the context of the EU pre-accession process and the management of the IPA. The project supports the relevant Serbian authori- ties in preparing strategic and programming doc- uments in accordance with the EU requirements and procedures.

Framework Contract Management

Particip is currently managing six framework con- tracts, three as lead and three as member of a consortium. Our staffs are being trained to manage the imple- mentation of short-term assignments in a wide range of technical and methodologi- cal fields of ex-

• pertise. This in-

cludes the sup- port to each indi- vidual expert for a specific request to be successful, the smooth and timely manage- ment of all contractual and financial issues, to the point of the submission of reporting deliverables that have gone through a detailed quality assess- ment procedure within our company’s senior ex- pertise. We see these contracts as a considerable ad- vantage, enabling us to offer a large number of freelance consultants, registered in our database, short-term assignments in a wide range of themat- ic fields all over the world. Our consortia, where we act either as lead com- pany or as partner, consist of a number of re- nowned European consulting companies with different core competences, thus enabling us to provide experts to each request at the highest standard. Our Framework Contracts (FWC) in detail: EC FWC EuropeAid/129783/C/SER/Multi – FWC Commission: Lot 2 Communication and Training. Particip is acting as lead company of a consortium, which has been selected to be included on the list of

• nly three consortia in total.

EC FWC EuropeAid/127054/C/SER/Multi – FWC Beneficiaries:

• Lot 1: Rural development and food security.

Particip is member of a selected consortium.

• Lot 6: Environment. Particip is acting as lead

company for the consortium.

• Lot 7: Governance and Home Affairs. Particip

is acting as lead company for the consortium.

• Lot 9: Culture, Education, Employment and
• Social. Particip is member of a selected con-

sortium.

• Lot 11: Macro economy, Statistics and Public

finance management. Particip is member of a selected consortium.